For Galante, who lost a grandmother and an aunt to the disease, the mission is personal as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be back with Phil, to be back in that car that has my family members\u2019 names on it, along with hundreds of names of people from all over the world, it was really special,\u201d said Galante. \u201cThe work they do at the racetrack, talking to fans and meeting so many people who have been affected by this disease \u2013 well, it means a lot to me to be a part of this, especially at one of my favorite tracks in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/meips\/ADKq_NZSa1Z6og0sfbixJbrJaq1rARFjUQDOz34U2YA2G6HtajlDepCoRc5Dn3P_fal_Y0-r0oPfqIYyo2uJ5FF9iTAumrtlXrhsH9gNZL7cZBGjT-SBBswF5YOx-PFpKkMabhW-TjrfHhhmyS9JNPxlf2pvomc-PwkhGkQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/a33ba08d163385b4a77fabf6c\/images\/11efd701-a2e5-fe93-e660-802760f3f4fc.jpg\")
Sonoma Raceway joined the ranks of the newly repaved earlier this year, receiving a full track renewal for the first time in 23 years on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course located at the edge of the famous Northern California wine region. With nearly 15 stories of elevation change, Sonoma offers a challenge to every competitor \u2013 including Galante, who estimates that he has driven over 4,000 laps at the track over the years.<\/p>\n
Galante was joined on the weekend by the team\u2019s Endurance Challenge driver, Englishman Gus Burton. The pair\u00a0shared time in the car during Friday\u2019s first practice session, with Burton setting the fifth quickest time among the 992 class as Galante ramped up the learning curve in the Porsche GT3 Cup Car. Later that afternoon, Galante put some of the lessons learned from Burton to good use, setting the eighth quickest time.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was all about learning to trust the amount of grip that the GT3 had at high speed,\u201d said Galante. \u201cIn that regard, it really did help to be working with Gus, who is just super, super fast. He had never been to Sonoma before and yet, on his second lap, he went way quicker than I would all weekend. He didn’t hold back in our post session talks either, taking me through rolling speed, how best to enter the corners. That was great.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/meips\/ADKq_Nak7Do2TVkPewhLra5dxcAUqLx_bEeAa6kMyAdALufaSiHBO06QochWu3QeVzRCr2yl_8VmQDBymI-n3qCdDV7SsIq-yyuTmO5At_687SQXstDJYTbaQLhpX5mR5MClTdxBKSYZcN_qj6TPDP-8s4zsN-0PJ7e_Vv5rcKGoeT0=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/a33ba08d163385b4a77fabf6c\/_compresseds\/54a61ed5-ced3-9057-38a9-6d4d921e8f7f.jpg\")
Saturday morning, Galante continued the learning curve, setting the ninth quickest time. Taking the green flag three hours later, Galante did a masterful job avoiding a first lap melee and as the race settled in, began to secure his confidence level behind the wheel of the new generation 992 Porsche, taking 12th position with 15 minutes remaining, and 11th with 10 minutes left. At the checkered flag, Galante held his position to finish eighth in class and 11th overall.<\/p>\n
Qualifying for the Porsche Endurance Challenge took place Sunday morning, with Burton placing the No. 241 in fifth position on the starting grid. But up first for Galante was the second Sprint Challenge race of the weekend early in the afternoon, and he set about working his way forward early in the race. Then, as the field was coming back to green after a mid-race caution, cars ahead made contact, causing the row ahead of Galante to brake hard. He tried to avoid, but hit the car ahead with his right front, which caused considerable damage and ended the day for the team.<\/p>\n
Galante and Frengs were both disappointed with the outcome but pleased with the way the weekend came together.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/meips\/ADKq_NbngjD2tBFzfZY0jjzAvRUtysa0PRNdNtJVioh1bkXOT0PSOIOKcUQAgETiOgbtCdssy6Oyv7mAaibZnYs5ahwc-YvIKO8-qz581Q6zzMroUBVw57HJOD87znjE-pHGjVT3vPNTyJ-8wId77E27opogybzOpCc93_M=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/mcusercontent.com\/a33ba08d163385b4a77fabf6c\/images\/38302d76-b8d8-6ad1-b1a7-e30f07d0112e.jpg\")
\u201cWhat a hugely disappointing ending for the team,\u201d said Galante. \u201cThe MDK crew did the best they could to fix the car, but it wasn\u2019t meant to be. Big thanks to them for all the hard work this weekend, to Gus for all the GT3 education, and to Phil, for giving me the chance to get back out on track at Sonoma. I hope to be back with the team again!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSonoma Raceway is always a welcome sight for me,\u201d said Frengs. \u201cIt\u2019s really one of our \u2018home\u2019 tracks. And it was great to have Nick back behind the wheel. We were able to visit old friends who attended and spend time with some of our mutual friends in the racing community. Nick did a great job getting up to speed in a new car and got faster every session.\u00a0\u00a0Gus and Nick were a formidable pair, qualifying sixth and ready for a dash to the front. It was very unfortunate that contact at end of race two wiped out that opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n